Is Anyone Listening?
In many cases, it’s just as well. Often, those in the frontline of customer service are not well trained in handling complaints. In fact, if you were to complain to a shop assistant or a call centre operative, chances are you’d find yourself speaking to a manager or a supervisor even if you hadn’t asked to.
So is there a right way and a wrong way to complain? One theory about why we are reluctant to make a complaint is that we want to avoid the embarrassment factor, and, given the aggressive approach that some take to complaining, it’s hardly surprising.
“What I really hate is when a customer absolutely rants at me about something I have no control over,” comments Jason, a sales assistant for a high street retailer. “I genuinely sympathise with customers when things go wrong but my sympathy kind of disintegrates when they take all their anger out on me, even though it’s not my fault.”
There are some simple strategies you can use to help you get the result you’re looking for.
The first thing to do is to make sure you are complaining to the right person. If you get this wrong, you’ll put yourself under unnecessary stress while you work your way up the chain, making it much more likely you’ll lose your cool along the way.
Be armed with the facts, and know what you want to achieve. Do you want a refund, better service or simply an apology? If you take a polite but firm approach to making your needs clear you’re much more likely to get the result you’re looking for.
Finally, if you feel no one is listening, put your grievances down on paper. It can be amazing how much more efficiently companies respond to a complaint that has to go on file!
So is anyone listening to your complaints, or are they just relying on new customers to take the place of the disgruntled ones? Why not have your say...
